This invention relates to game playing services for gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods enabling able wins of restricted credit on gaming machines.
There are a wide variety of associated devices that can be connected to a gaming machine such as a slot machine or video poker machine. Some examples of these devices are lights, ticket printers, card readers, speakers, bill validators, ticket readers, coin acceptors, display panels, key pads, coin hoppers and button pads. Many of these devices are built into the gaming machine or components associated with the gaming machine such as a top box which usually sits on top of the gaming machine.
Typically, utilizing a master gaming controller, the gaming machine controls various combinations of devices that allow a player to play a game on the gaming machine and also encourage game play on the gaming machine. For example, a game played on a gaming machine usually requires a player to input money or indicia of credit into the gaming machine, indicate a wager amount, and initiate a game play. These steps require the gaming machine to control input devices, including bill validators and coin acceptors, to accept money into the gaming machine and recognize user inputs from devices, including key pads and button pads, to determine the wager amount and initiate game play. After game play has been initiated, the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents the game outcome to the player and may dispense an award of some type depending on the outcome of the game.
As technology in the gaming industry progresses, the traditional method of dispensing coins or tokens as awards for winning game outcomes is being supplemented by ticket dispensers which print ticket vouchers that may be exchanged for cash or accepted as credit of indicia in other gaming machines for additional game play. An award ticket system, which allows award ticket vouchers to be dispensed and utilized by other gaming machines, increases the operational efficiency of maintaining a gaming machine and simplifies the player pay out process. An example of an award ticket system is the EZ PAY ticket system by International Game Technology of Reno, Nevada. Award ticket systems and systems using other cashless mediums are referred to as cashless systems.
Cashless systems, such as the EZ PAY ticket system, provide advantages to both game players and casino operators. For example, many players find it more convenient to carry an award ticket than a large number of coins. For gaming machine operators cashless systems tend to reduce gaming machine operating costs. For example, the infrastructure needed to remove and count indicia of credit (e.g. coins, tokens, bills) from the gaming machine may be eliminated or minimized when it is replaced with a cashless system, which reduces the gaming machine operating costs. Further, coin dust, which is potentially damaging to the components of the gaming machine (e.g. electronic components) may be eliminated or minimized when coin acceptors are replaced with the cashless system. Currently, cashless systems have become very popular and have been embraced by customers. For example, ticket vouchers that are generated upon cash-out and redeemed for cash or gaming machine credits within a particular casino are well accepted by game players.
Many gaming systems support player credits more than one type. “Cashable” credits are redeemable for cash for the full face value of the cashless gaming instrument (e.g., ticket or voucher). “Restricted” credits are not directly redeemable for cash for the full face value of the cashless gaming instrument. Restricted credits may be, for example, non-cashable, that is, not redeemable for cash, but only playable on a gaming machine that supports the cashless system in which the instrument (voucher) was issued. Other examples of restricted credits are credits that are redeemable for prizes, or for cash at a discount from the instrument's face value. Restricted credit vouchers are sometimes issued to players in a casino as an incentive to further play, for example. Currently, restricted credit is only available via electronic funds transfer (EFT) or as promotional vouchers and gaming machines have a fixed payout schedule (pay table) that generates cashable credits from winning game play.
Thus, as players play a gaming machine, they win cash, cashable credits or prizes based on a fixed payout schedule. Players may typically collect their credits won as cash at any time between games. Some host systems to which gaming machines are connected are capable of giving players restricted credits on a gaming machine via an electronic funds transfer (EFT). Also, as noted above, a casino operator may manually issue restricted credit vouchers (commonly known as promotional credits) to a player. Typically, these non-cashable restricted credits that players must play on compatible gaming machines and cannot collect as cash. As players wager this type of credit, the gaming machine typically awards cashable credits for wins.
In some cases, a machine may issue free games or plays, however, such free games are not credits and are limited to play on the issuing machine during the current playing session.
It would be desirable to expand the options available for the use of restricted credit in a gaming system to enhance the gaming experience for players and facilitate operations for gaming machine operators.